Warm and Fuzzy
by DarKxKunoichi
Summary: Rei x Ryu. A collection of one-shots about the pair. Reviews are always nice.
1. Brothers

Brothers

(Yraall Road )

Ryu shifted uncomfortably in his new armor. Although he wasn't exactly sure how long he had been in this world, he was almost positive that he had never worn armor before. He felt heavy, bulky and clumsy as he waddled around the forest attempting to keep up with Rei and Teepo, who had already had a few years of battle experience.

"Oof, Teepo Onii-chan!" The blue haired boy called out. "Wait for me!"

A violent haired boy, one that was just barely older than Ryu, turned to his friend. "Don't call me that." He shivered slightly. "It makes me feel _old_."

"Where are we going Rei Onii-" Ryu paused and cautiously looked at the woren's expression.

"It's okay." The older boy smiled. "We need to find a place for you to practice; there are a lot of monsters around here, so you'll get the hang of it pretty quick." He frowned and scratched the back of his head nervously. "I hope."

"Aww, don't worry about it!" Teepo patted Ryu's back. "Ryu's got this! Right buddy?"

The younger boy smiled weakly and trudged on down the path along with his new friends – his new family.

"Hey." Rei said in a low whisper.

Ryu raised his head to find Rei and Teepo waving him over from behind a tree. He unsurely took a few awkward steps to join his friends by the cedar tree and peeked over to see what they were looking at. An almost amorphous blue blob with eyes was bouncing up and down, desperately trying to pick an apple hanging on a branch above it.

"Okay Ryu, you're up." Teepo gave him a nudge.

"W-what?" The boy's eyes widened. "But… I don't know what to do."

"It'll be easy." Rei kneeled down to eye level with Ryu. "Just keep eye contact and swing, okay?"

"B-but… Onii-chan, I…"

"Hey." The woren reached over and squeezed Ryu's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry; we'll be right here, so no matter what happens, you'll be okay."

Ryu stared into Rei's brightly shining blue eyes and they looked back at him with confidence and support. The young boy wasn't aware of any kind of spell that the woren knew that could suddenly give him a boost of confidence, but that reassuring squeeze, gentle grin and sparkle in Rei's eyes were everything that the boy needed. After taking a deep breath, Ryu nodded his head.

"Good." The woren stood up and turned Ryu towards the eye goo. "Go get 'em."

A gentle push forced the young boy forward and into the monster's vision.

"How do you do that?" Teepo frowned as he watched Ryu pull out his sword in a panic. "All inspirational and stuff?"

"Well, we have to be like that." Rei crossed his arms. "We're his big brothers now."

"Heh, doesn't that just beat all?" The young mage mocked. "Looks like you're getting all responsible on me."

"Shut it."

(Cedar Woods)

Ryu moaned softly, all he saw was black, and then he realized his eyes were closed. He didn't feel the ground beneath him, but felt furry muscles against his cheek. The blue haired boy slowly opened his eyes and found himself curled up in Rei's arms.

"Onii-chan?" Ryu rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"You did pretty well for your first time." Rei gently readjusted Ryu in his arms.

"You should probably have a little more confidence when you swing your sword next time." Teepo chimed in. "The whole 'turning away and wildly slashing the air' thing isn't that effective."

The boy's chin disappeared into his chest and he blushed shamefully.

"No worries." Rei smiled supportively. "We'll try again tomorrow and I know you'll do better."

"Hmm…" Ryu closed his eyes and leaned his head against the woren's chest again.

Ryu wanted to stay awake, he really did, but his muscles were a little sore from his armor, swinging a sword and the apparent beating he took from the monster. He didn't want to disappoint Rei; his brother really believed in him and if he could stay awake then maybe it wouldn't be a complete let down.

But the woren was so warm and comfortable so maybe…

End of One-shot


	2. Fishing

Fishing

(Yraall Region)

Ryu's vision was still blurred even after being awake for half an hour. His feet dragged lazily, leaving a long trail in the dirt road leading out of the Cedar Woods, heading southwest. A heavy yawn forced tired tears from the young boy's eyes and his entire body tensed up, forcing him to stop in his tracks. Small, pudgy fingers gently attempted to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes, but only served to force his lids shut, which pushed him further away from consciousness.

"O-oni-nii-ch-chan…" Ryu failed to fight off another yawn. "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet." Rei turned and smirked at the younger boy.

"It's so early." The blue haired boy moaned sleepily.

"I know." The woren approached his friend. "But we have to make sure we have something to eat today."

"The sun isn't even out yet."

"Come on." Rei turned around and knelt down.

Ryu hesitated for a moment; he was tired, but he didn't want to put Rei out. After all, Ryu wanted to show the woren that he could take care of himself, that he was strong and capable of keeping up with Rei's unsteady lifestyle. The boy fidgeted with his sleeve and frowned.

"It's okay, Ryu." The woren urged. "We have to get to the fishing spot soon."

The blue haired boy groaned slightly, but eagerly climbed onto Rei's shoulders. He felt the woren's thick, furry tail wrap around his back to secure him in place and rested his head between Rei's shoulder blades. His older brother's fur was always warm and comforting, which quickly put him to sleep. As soon as he dozed off, he felt like he had been shaken awake only a few moments later.

"Ryu, are you listening?" Rei frowned at the boy.

"Mhm hmm." Ryu murmured and yawned.

"So you're ready to start fishing?"

"Umm…" He blushed; maybe he hadn't been listening.

"So…" The woren knelt down beside Ryu. "Keep your left hand here and make sure your finger is pressing down against the line — like this."

The younger boy nodded and watched his older brother clamp his finger down on the fishing line, pressing it against the fishing rod.

"Then swing it back over until it hits your shoulder — like this."

Ryu noted the spot on Rei's shoulder where the fishing rod had made contact.

"Now you have to swing the rod forward and when the tip of the rod is parallel to your nose, let go of the fishing line to cast into the water."

The blue haired boy's eyes followed the hook as it flew across the water and landed into the water with a _plop_. He wondered how well he would be able to actually catch fish. Ryu was confident that he could emulate the woren's instructions, but he doubted that reeling in a fish would be as simple.

"When you reel in your line, make sure you pay attention to how much resistance there is; sometimes your hook will get caught on some rocks and if that happens, you'll lose your bait." The woren finished reeling in the bait-less hook. "You try."

Ryu tentatively took the fishing rod from Rei and clamped his finger over the line like his brother showed him. He paused for a second, trying to remember what to do next. Rei moved to help him figure out his next move, but jumped back in surprise when Ryu suddenly threw the rod back over his shoulder then whipped it forward.

The woren felt a sweatdrop fall from his head when the hook didn't leave the end of the fishing rod.

"Umm…" Rei scratched the back of his head.

"I-I don't think that was right…" Ryu's cheeks turned pink.

"Heh, you just didn't let go of the line when you casted your rod." The older boy squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Try again."

Ryu groaned a little and tried it again and a satisfying _plop_ in the water was his reward. He quickly reeled it back, making sure he was careful enough to avoid any rocky patches under the water.

"There you go!" Rei patted Ryu's back excitedly, almost knocking the boy into the water. "Now try it again with one of the worms in that bag."

"Okay!"

The young boy was very excited to have learned how to do something well so quickly. Although he had yet to actually catch anything, it almost took him a week to use a sword comfortably and he still swung like he was trying to bat away flies. So successfully casting the line was more of a personal victory than anything, but a victory nonetheless.

"Onii-chan…" Ryu wiggled the fishing rod, hoping to lure in some fish. "How long do I have to wait?"

"It just takes some time; I hear that there's a thing you do with the line to make fish come by, but I don't know much about it."

"But I—" The blue haired boy turned his head, but it suddenly snapped back and his face turned a deep red. "O-onii-chan! Wha-what are you doing?!"

Ryu was having a slight panic attack; he had never seen his older brother in all of his furry glory before.

"Hey." Rei knelt down beside Ryu and patted his shoulder. "Don't be all shy."

Ryu turned a deeper shade of red and kept his eyes focused on the, seemingly, undisturbed water.

"We're brothers, right?" The woren grinned, but sighed at Ryu's silence. "I'm not much of a fisherman, but I have my own way to catch fish."

Curiosity got the better of Ryu and he carefully turned his head to find Rei on all fours, sniffing the surface of the water and gently growling. His claws were bared as he bent his limbs before pouncing into the water.

"Uhh…" Ryu peeked over into the water. "Onii-chan?"

A few minutes later Rei burst out of the water, sputtering, before tossing a fish over onto the ground beside Ryu. The younger boy blinked at the fish and then turned back to his dripping brother, whose wet fur was matted against his muscle.

"You should probably cast your line over there." Rei pointed off to the side. "I wouldn't want to scare away any of your fish."

"R-right." Ryu pulled his gaze away from his brother's muscled form.

Unfortunately, seeing Rei naked was the most exciting thing that had happened so far. Ryu ended up waiting for an hour, sitting cross legged by the end of the water, slightly discouraged because of the pile of trout that was steadily increasing in size behind him; the woren was on a roll.

'Maybe I should just ask Onii-chan how to fish his way?' Ryu frowned. 'It seems to work better than the normal way…'

The young boy yawned again, lifting his arms in the air and stretching wildy. The fishing rod in his hand twitched violently, and then he felt a strong tug on it. He scrambled to his feet and held the reel tightly, trying to pull in his catch. Ryu pulled the rod back, struggling against the thrashing creature in the water. His eyes stayed lock onto the epicenter of the furious splashing and jerked his fishing rod in random directions in an attempt to tire out the fish.

"Onii-chan!" Ryu yelled over his shoulder. "I-I got something!"

"Really?" Rei yelled back in surprise. "Hold on a sec! I'll be right there!"

The woren jumped out of the water and quickly reached around Ryu to help pull in the fish. Rei's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he felt the enormous tug fighting against their combined strength. Ryu squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled furiously on the fishing rod and his back was pressed against the woren's torso. And because the young boy was so desperately trying to pull in his catch, he didn't notice the incredibly feral growl that Rei was emitting. Ryu also allowed the woren's bulging muscles, enlarging hands and claws along with the tiger-ish facial contortions to escape his notice.

'D-damn it!' Rei swore viciously in his head. 'I can't believe…!'

After a deep, feral roar echoed throughout the fishing hole, Ryu found himself lying with his back against his older brother's naked body and an enormous rainbow trout thrashing wildly above them.

"Onii-chan!" The boy jumped up and excitedly pulled his fish off of the hook. "Look! Look!"

Rei's breathing was labored and he could see his own chest heaving. His eyes frantically examined his hands to check if his hands had grown or if his claws had lengthened and/or sharpened. It took him a minute and several waves of a fish in his face to pull him out of his panic.

"Onii-chan?" Ryu tilted his head curiously. "Are you alright?"

Groaning, the woren put his hand over his face and shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Ryu looked at his brother, unconvinced.

"_Really_." Rei pressed his words. "I guess I'm rustier than I thought."

"What was that I heard…?"

"Well doesn't that beat all?!" Rei interrupted quickly. "You caught something on your first try and a lunker too!"

"Well…" Ryu's face brightened as he blushed, half out of modesty and half out of being so close to Rei's exposed body, and scratched the back of his head, a habit he seemed to have picked up from his older brother.

"Come on." The woren's smile was slight strained. "Teepo will want to see this."

"Okay!"

Rei quickly dressed and strung all of his fish together and stuffed them into his pack, trying to avoid eye contact with Ryu. The younger boy didn't seem to notice though since he was fresh from his victory. He had to hang the fish over his shoulder to effectively carry it back and even though its tail was still dragging along the ground but he refused to allow Rei to help him; Ryu could do this all by himself and nothing could dampen his spirits now.

"Onii-chan?" Ryu's eyes brightened and shot upward to look at his brother.

"Hmm?" The woren's eyebrows rose.

"Thank you…" His arm wrapped around Rei's waist. "…for teaching me… how to fish."

Rei grinned and ruffled the boy's hair. "No problem, kid."

End of One-shot.


	3. Nightmares

Nightmares

_(Dauna Mine)_

_Panic, terror, confusion and a sense of self-preservation were just a handful of emotions that were buzzing around Ryu's head. His vision was cloudy, but he could make out dark shapes from within the shadows of looming wooden pillars or from behind charcoal colored stone walls. Their malicious eyes and aggressive stances promised a world of pain to him, while he wanted to call for help – for his brothers – but all that would escape his mouth was a shrill cry. He didn't understand. He was scared. And he didn't want to be alone._

_It felt strange for him to walk. He felt his feet pad oddly against the gravel that lined the mining grounds and his vision seemed a little skewed as if he wasn't quite what he was before. His distorted vision caught the shadows closing in on him causing his breathing to quicken and his nerves to begin firing erratically. Panic caused him to open his mouth; expecting a scream, he was surprised to feel a slight warmth escape his mouth which followed a plethora of screams, none of which belonged to him._

_The putrid stench of burnt flesh filled Ryu's nostrils as he opened his eyes. The shadows were no longer menacing, they didn't seem at all threatening or dangerous. Now, they were small and pathetic. They were innocent. And they were dead. He had taken their lives as if they were nothing. Who was he to have that kind of power? How could he have so easily robbed them of their destinies? _

_A sharp pain struck his heart and his own anguished cry filled his ears._

(Cedar Woods)

Ryu burst out of his bed in a deep panic. His chest was heaving and tiny droplets of sweat were falling from his forehead. The raw emotions, left over from his nightmare, were swirling in his chest and he felt his lip tremble and his eyes water. It took a few unsteady steps in the darkness before a few sobs escaped him. He didn't want to cry, not yet, so he broke into a run across the room to yank on his brother's furry tail.

Rei grunted and rolled over. He only opened his eyes half-way before they quickly adjusted to the darkness. They shot open when he found Ryu by his bed with tears in his eyes.

"Hey." Rei whispered intensely, jumped out of bed and gripped the boy's shoulders. "What's the matter? Did something happen?"

"I-I…I…" Ryu's sobs prevented him from communicating effectively.

"It's okay." The woren whispered soothingly and enveloped the younger boy in his arms, pressing him against his furry chest. "It was only a nightmare."

"O-onii-nii-ch-chan…" Crying was one thing, but soaking his brother's fur with his tears shamed him more than anything. "I-I was… was… s-so…."

"Shh…" He shushed gently. "I know, I know…"

"I d-don't wa-want…"

"Yeah." Rei pulled away slightly and grinned placatingly. "I know the feeling; so how about you sleep with me tonight okay?"

Ryu nodded and sniffled. He watched his older brother hop back into his bed, scooting towards the opposite edge, while leaving space for Ryu. A few more sniffles and a quiet sob escaped from Ryu before he climbed into the empty space beside the woren.

Rei frowned as he watched the younger boy curl up into a slightly teary ball. He felt Ryu tremble slight and then stiffen as he wrapped his arms around him. The young boy gently nuzzled his cheek into Rei's furry chest, internally enjoying the hard muscle beneath his brother's soft fur.

"Don't worry." Rei whispered. "I'll be here for you; I'll protect you – always."

All Ryu could do was sigh in relief and drift off to sleep, surrounded by sheets, fur and muscle.

End of One-shot.


	4. Reunion

Reunion

(Cedar Woods)

Ryu didn't know how long it had been since he had been to the Cedar Woods, but it brought a small smile to his face when the gentle breeze and rustling of leaves greeted him like an old friend. The young dragon's gaze lowered and he frowned; he wished that this was just a nostalgic visit, but that weretiger on Ogre Road was something he couldn't ignore.

'His eyes… that tail…' The dragon frowned in thought. 'It has to be… but…'

When Ryu and Garr reached the path that led to his old home, a gentle growl stopped them in their tracks.

"You want to go alone?" Garr sensed Ryu's hesitation.

The dragon nodded wordlessly.

"Hmm…" The guardian frowned. "It's my guess that you know something about that tiger…"

"Yeah." Ryu breathed quietly.

"In that case, I'll wait for you here." Garr frowned in thought. "I don't think you'll have any problems, but watch yourself."

Ryu nodded again and nervously walked up the narrow path leading up to his charred home. He was getting close; he felt it. He's here; he has to be. With his resolve growing stronger the louder the distant growls became, the dragon walked up the top of the path and just as he turned the corner a furry figure appeared in his peripheral vision. Ryu's breath caught in his throat.

"Nii-san?"

The woren looked a little different; he was taller, his spiky blond locks were held back by a bandana and his body was thicker – more muscular than Ryu remembered.

"…Ryu? Is that you?" Rei's familiar voice was soothing to the dragon.

"Nii-san…" Ryu felt himself tremble slightly.

"Was that you on …Ogre Road?"

The younger man nodded; his voice not quite functioning.

"Ha… ha ha ha ha! So that was you!? Ha ha ha ha ha!" The woren doubled over with laughter.

Ryu's cheeks warmed lightly.

"Doesn't that beat all? I never imagined I'd get beat by you, Ryu!" Amusement and pride shined in his eyes. "I wasn't holding back at all!"

The dragon just barely absorbed everything that Rei was telling him. He couldn't believe that his big brother was standing right in front of him after all of these years. He had been so distracted with learning about the Brood and with what happened at Angel Tower that he had almost forgotten to miss Rei and Teepo. But now everything was rushing back to him and his emotions paralyzed him.

He only snapped back to reality when he realized that Rei was going to leave.

"But I can't stop! Not until I teach those guys not to mess with me… or my family!" Rei growled angrily and leapt into the foliage.

"Nii-san!" Ryu called after him. "Wait!"

(Dauna Region)

Ryu couldn't help but smile when he thought of traveling with Rei. It was still difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that he had finally found his big brother and he knew that with the current situation that it was inappropriate to be overjoyed, but he had a hard time hiding it. After all, he had been searching for the woren for so long, and now he just had to find Teepo.

He found Rei sitting against the interior of the tent, sharpening his blades, and went to greet him.

"Hey." Ryu started.

"For years, I kept investigating the organization… But I never heard nothing about Teepo…I guess… I guess that means…" Rei's eyes lowered.

"He's not…" The younger man shook his head. "He can't be…"

"I wish…" The woren lowered his knives. "…I could be that optimistic."

Ryu knelt down and grabbed his brother's shoulders. "I never thought, for even a second, that you were dead, and look where we are now."

Their eyes met and Rei smiled gently; maybe he could be an optimist.

"I won't believe it until I find a body or a witness."

"I guess…. we'll just have to ask God about it then, huh?"

Ryu nodded and lowered his eyes. His head shot up again when he felt himself being pulled into Rei's furry chest.

"I've missed you." The woren tightened his large muscled arms around Ryu.

The young dragon adjusted himself accordingly into his brother's fur and returned the hug.

"I've missed you too."

Ryu held his eyes shut, sinking into the woren's fur. The warmth brought back comforting memories of his nights spent curling up into Rei's fur, when he felt safe, when he had found his home.

So the brothers took comfort in each other's embrace and Ryu knew that as long as he had Rei, he had a home.

End of One-shot.


End file.
